Infant&#39;s bathing device



P 1942' D. M. KENNEDY 2,281,309

INFANT'S BATHING DEVICE Filed D66. 19, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Dewey Pf Ken/wag A TRMIYE Y5 April 1942- o. M. KENNEDY INFANT'S BATHING DEVICE Filed Dec. 19, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 D INVENTOR. BY ewgy/f hie/may /Mv-fidi'" Arm/M675 April 28, 1942- D. M. KENNEDY INFANT'S BATHING DEVICE Filed Dec. 19, 1940 :s Sheets-Sheet 5 v v INVENTOR 1361116 M. fife/me TTUR/VEYS Patented Apr. 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mmn'r's na'rnmc osvrcs Dewey M. Kennedy, Rochester, N. Y.

- Application December 19, 1940, Serlal No. 370,742

8Claims.

an upright inactive position at the rear of and extending partially above the tub so as to dispose the same in a more accessible and convenient location for facilitating the grasping and movement of the dressing table from inactive to an active position.

More particularly the invention resides in an improvement in infants bathing devices of the indicated character in which stop elements are provided on the side arms of the dressing table frame for engagement with bearing lugs carried by the support upon which the dressing table rests and is guided during its movement to and from active and inactive positions so as to dispose the dressing table in a more accessible position when the tub is in active use.

The invention further resides in the provision of stop elements carried by the side arms of the dressing table frame forwardly of the longitudinal overbalancing center of the dressing table whereby the dressing table upon engagement with the bearing lugs during its rearward movement from active position gravitationally swings into upright position upon the bearing lugs and which stop elementshave forwardly inclined lower edges which permit of the movement of the dressing table from an inactive position depending from the rear of the tub to an active position upon the support by the camming of said inclined edges past the bearing lugs.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which there is illustrated the preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an infants bathing device constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrating thedressing table in an upright inactive position at the rear of and extending partially above the tub.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse sectional view illustrating the dressing table in full lines in the active position and showing the same in broken lines in the inactive position shown in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the dressing table in full lines in an inactive vertical position depending from the rear of the tub and showing the same in-broken lines in an intermediate position between the inactive position illustrated in Fig. 1, and the active full line position shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the side arms of the dressing table illustrating the form of stop element shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detailed perspective views illustrating a modified form of stop element and showing the same respectively in active and inactive positions.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through an infant's bathing device illustrating a modified form of the invention and showing the dressing table in full lines in its active position and in broken lines in the inactive position.

Fig. 8 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of the dressing table guide and stop means.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 illustrating a further modification of the invention and showing the dressing table in full lines in the active position and in dotted lines in the inactive position.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the infants bathing device illustrated is of the type which includes a foldable bathtub A of flexible material, the opposite longitudinal upper edges of which tub are anchored to spaced parallel front and rear rails l0 and II of a collapsible support which consists of a leg member I! at each end of the tub connected at their upper ends to the front rail l0 and a leg member l3 at each end of the tub connected at their upper ends to the rear rail II, the leg members l2 and I3 being pivotally connected as at I4 intermediate their ends whereby the support may be collapsed and the tub folded.

The bathing device also embodies a dressing table designated by the reference character B, which comprises a frame including front and rear bars l8 and I 9 joined by end rods or side arms 20 connected with the front and rear bars 18 and ill at or adjacent the oppositeends thereof. A web 2| of canvas or an equivalent flexible material is stretched between the front and rear bars I8 and 19 to provide a soft, yieldable surface upon which the infant is adapted to be laid for undressing prior to bathing, and for dressing after th bath. The end rods or side arms 20 are located in a plane below the front and rear bars I! and I9 by means of upturned or oflset terminals 22 and 23. The upper ends of the leg members I 3 are each provided adjacent the rear of the device with an inwardly projecting bearing lug 25 constituting a dressing table support disposed in a plane below the rear rail I I and upon which lugs the end rods or side arms 20 are adapted to slide and between which lugs and the rear rail II the rods or arms 20 are free to pass during the movement of the dressing table from active to inactive position or vice versa. In the active position of the dressing table, the rear portions of the rods or arms 20 rest upon the lugs 25 and the forward portions of the rods or arms 20 rest upon the front rail i0, while the upturned rear ends 23 of said rods or arms 20 are disposed at the rear of the rail ll of the support.

The bathing device is equipped with the usual form of screen guard C having pockets on the front face for the reception of toilet accessories, such as powder or the like, and said guard is carried by the upper ends of the leg members and extends above the rear wall of th tub. Under this construction and arrangement of bathing devices of this type, the dressing table B is designed to be shifted from the active horizontal position overlying the tub, as shown in Fig. 2, to the inactive vertical position at the rear of the tub depending from and supported by the rear rail II.

The present invention is directed to means which functions when the bathing device is in actual use to support the dressing table in an upright active position at the rear of and extending partially above the tub so as to dispose the same in a more accessible and convenient location for facilitating the grasping and movement of the dressing table from the inactive position illustrated in Fig. 1, to the active position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The means illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive consists of a stop element 26 secured to each end rod or side arm 20 of the dressing table frame. As shown, each stop element is constructed of sheet material which is bent around the rod or arm 20 and secured thereto by a rivet 21 or any equivalent fastening means. The stop element is formed with a forwardly inclined lower edge 28 and a notched or concaved rear edge 29 defining a shoulder. In practice, the stop elements 26 are secured to the rods or arms 20 intermediate the ends thereof and preferably slightly forward of thelongitudinal overbalancing center in order to dispose the preponderance of the weight of the dressing table rearwardly of the stop elements.

In use and operation, when the bathing device is set up for actual use the dressing table is drawn upwardly and forwardly from the full line inactive position shown in Fig. 3 to the full line active position shown in Fig. 2. As th stop elements engage with the bearing lugs 25, the inclined lower edges 28 freely ride over the bearing lugs and serve as cam faces for this purpose. In the active position shown in Fig. 2, it is apparent that the dressing table is supported in the horizontal position overlying the tub with the forward portions of the side arms resting on the front rail l and the rear portions of the side arms resting on the bearing lugs 25. After the infant has been undressed upon and lifted from the dressing table, the table is raised and shifted aasnsoo rearwardly until the rear edges or shoulders 2! of the stop element engage with the bearing lugs 25 25. The dressing table is then released and gravitationally swings to an upright position supported by the stop elements which serve as fulcrum means engaging with the bearing lugs. The downward swinging movement of the rear end of the dressing table is arrested and the table maintained in an upright position by the engagement of the webbin 2| with the screen guard C. In this position, it will b apparent that a considerable portion of the dressing table extends above the rear edge of the tub and is disposed in front of the screen guard to protect the contents of the pockets from splashing, while the infant is being bathed in the tub. The upper portion of the'dressing table is thus disposed in a convenient position for grasping and movement of the same to the active horizontal position overlying the tub for laying the infant thereon during the dressing operation.

When the bathing device is not in actual use and is to be collapsed, the stop elements may be readily disengaged from the bearing lugs 25 by springing of the side arms 20 rearwardly while it is in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, thereby disengaging the stop elements from the lugs and permitting the dressing table to be lowered to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 where it is suspended from the rear rail ii for disposal in a position parallel to the collapsed support and tub.

An alternate form of stop lug is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings which is fashioned from a resilient strip of material and includes a base terminal 30 anchored to the upper side of the rod or arm 3| by a rivet or equivalent fastening means 32 and a shank 33 extending rearwardly from the base and provided with a bifurcated terminal 34 having depending furcations 35 which are longitudinally crimped inwardly intermediate their height to provide upper and lower arm gripping portions adapted to selectively grip the arm. When the upper portion is in gripping relation with the arm, the lower portion protrudes downwardly therefrom to provide a stop shoulder for engagement with the bearing lugs 25 of the bathtub support. When the lower gripping portion is in active position as shown in Fig. 6, the stop element is disposed in an out-of-the-way position to permit the dressing table to be freely moved past the bearing lugs 25 in either direction. The stop element of this type may be readily manipulated by the fingers to dispose the same in either of its two positions.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8 of the drawings, the side arms 20 are provided with longitudinally spaced laterally projecting stops 40 and 4| and in this instance the rear rail I I is provided adjacent its juncture with each of the leg members I3 with a rearwardly inclined bearing lug 42 having a T-shaped slot 43 through which the side rail 20 of the dressing table extends for guided sliding movement. Under this construction and arrangement, the dressing table B may be shifted from the active position shown in full lines to the inactive upright position shown in dotted lines where it will be suspended by engagement of the stop element 40 with the bearing lug 42 as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 7 and in full lines in Fig. 8. If it is desired to support the dressing table in a lower inactive position, the side arms 20 of the dressing table are merely shifted rearwardly until the stop element 40 registers with the enlarged upper end of the T-shapedslot to permit the passage of said stop element therebeyond and to dispose the stop element 4| in engagement with the bearing lug. When the bathing device is to be stored or shipped, the dressing table B may be shifted to a fully lowered position by permitting the upper stop element 4| to pass through the enlarged portion of the T-shaped slot and the oflset terminals 22 of the side arms to engage with the bearing lugs thus disposing the dressing table in a fully lowered position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings, the dressing table B consists of a frame-work having a rail.

45 at each side thereof provided with a longitudinally extending channel or groove 46 opening through the underside thereof and adapted to cooperate with a guide pin 41 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the rear rail ll of the collapsible support adjacent the juncture of said rear rail with the leg l3 of the support. In this instance, each side rail 45 is provided at longitudinally spaced points with transverse stop elements 48 and 49 spanning the groove 46 and adapted to cooperate with the stop pin 41 to support the dressing table B in any one of a plurality of vertically adjusted inactive positions.

What is claimed is:

1. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a dressing table having a transversely extending arm at each end and a support including legs at each end thereof, and a longitudinally extending rail at the rear between said legs; means carried by the legs beneath said rail providing a bearing and a guide with which said arms of the dressing table slidably engage to permit of the movement thereof from an active position upon the support to an inactive position at the rear thereof, and elements carried by said arms adjacent the overbalancing longitudinal center of the dressing table and having forwardly inclined lower edges and notched rear edges engageable with said means for limiting the downward movement of the dressing table at the rear of the support and for supporting the dressing table with the upper portion thereof disposed above the support and for disposing the dressing table in position to be drawn forwardly to the active position, said inclined edges permitting of the movement of the dressing table from an inactive position depending from said rail to an active position upon the support by the camming of said elements past said means during the movement of said dressing table from inactive to active position.

2. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a dressing table having a transversely extending arm at each end and a support including legs at each end thereof, and a longitudinally extending rail at the rear between said legs; means carried by the legs beneath said rail providing a bearing for the dressing table by engagement of said arms therewith and as a guide for the dressing table during the movement thereof from an active position upon the support to an inactive position at the rear thereof, and elements carried by said arms intermediate the ends thereof and having forwardly inclined lower edges and notched rear edges engageable with said means for limiting the downward movement of the dressing table at the rear of the support and for supporting the dressing table with the upper portion thereof disposed above the support and for disposing the dressing table in position to be drawn forwardly to the active position, said inclined edges permitting of the movement of the dressing table from an inactive position depending from said rail to an active position upon the support by the camming of said elements past said means during the movement of said dressing table from inactive to active position.

3. In an infant's bathing device of the type which includes a support and a dressing table having side arms slidably and swingably carried by bearing means on the support for movement of the dressing table to and from an inactive position depending from the rear of the support and a horizontal position upon the support; means on the dressing table optionally engageable with the bearing means for supporting the dressing table in a vertical inactive elevated position extending partially above the support, said latter means comprising a stop element for each side arm including a strip of resilient material having a base terminal anchored to the upper side of the arm, a shank extending rearwardly from the base, and a bifurcated terminal at the free end of the shank formed with depending furcations longitudinally crimped inwardly intermediate their height to provide upper and lower arm gripping portions adapted to selectively grip the arm.

4. In an infants bathing device of the type which includes a slidable and swingable table on a foldable supporting structure, the table being arranged to assume a supporting position upon the support and to be slid and swung to a nonsupporting upright position suspendedat its upper end in depending relation to and along one side of the support when the foldable support is in an extended position, engaging means on the table arranged to coact with other engaging means on the supporting structure to hold the table in a non-supporting upright and substantially balanced position partly above the support and from which it may easily be drawn to its supporting position without raising it to a higher position, said coacting means being so constructed and arranged as to release the table, if desired, permitting it to be slidably moved to a lower position where it does not appreciably extend above the supporting structure and from which it may freely be moved to either the substantially balanced non-supporting position or to the supporting position.

5. In an infants bathing device of the type including a folding structure and a dressing table adapted to be moved to either a supporting position upon the folding structure or to a non-supporting position at the rear thereof, said dressing table'having front and rear longitudinal rails and transverse metal rods operatively connecting the adjacent ends of the "ails and a fabric stretched between the rails, said rods being partly curved to resiliently extend the rails thereby stretching the fabric, a bracket for each' rod attached to the folding structure and at least one lug extending from each of said rods at a position between the ends thereof and arranged to engage the bracket to hold the table at an elevated non-supporting position substantially above the folding structure while permitting movement of the table if desired to a substantially lower non-supporting position.

6. In an infant's bathing device of the type which includes a folding structure having front and rear longitudinal members and a dressing table adapted to be moved to either a supporting position upon the folding structure or a nonsupporting position at the rear thereof, said dressing table having front and rear longitudinal rails and transverse metal rods operatively connecting the adjacent ends of the rails and a fabric stretched between the rails, each of said rods having a substantially straight central portion adapted to rest horizontally on said front longitudinal member and on a cooperating bracket adjacent and slightly below said rear longitudinal member when the dresing table is moved to its supporting position, the opposite ends of each of said rods being bent to limit transverse movement of the table when in its supporting position and the front ends of each rod being further bent to provide supporting means for the dressing table when in its lowermost non-supporting position at the rear of the supporting structure, and a lug mounted on the straight portion of each of said rods and adapted in cooperation with said brackets to support the table at a more elevated non-supporting position while permitting movement of the table position upon the support to an inactive position suspended at one of its longitudinal sides in depending relation from the rear of the support,

. and elements carried by said arms intermediate theends thereof for limiting the downward movement of the dressing table at the rear of the support by engagement of said elements with said means during the movement of the dressing table from the active position to another in active position with the upper portion thereof disposed above the support and in position to-be drawn forwardly to the active position.

8. In an infant's bathing device of the type which includes a dressing table having a transversely extending arm at each end and a support including legs at each end thereof, means carried by the legs providing a bearing and a guide with which the side arms of the dressing table slidably engage to permit of the movement of the dressing table from an active horizontal position upon the support to an inactive position suspended at its upper end in depending relation from the rear of the support, and elements carried by said arms at the overbalancing longitudinal center of the dressing table for limiting the downward movement of the dressing table at the rear of the support by engagement of said elements with said means during the movement of the dressing table from the active to another inactive position in which the dressing table is supported with the upper portion thereof disposed above the support and in position to be drawn forwardly to the active position.

DEWEY M. KENNEDY. 

